Tube reducing mill



March 19, 1963 P. NowAKowsvKl TUBE REDUCING MILL 6 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 19, 1961 March 19, 1963 P. L. NowAKowsKl 3,081,650

TUBE REDUCING MILL Filed June 19, 1961 6 Sheets-Shet 2 '-"I IN V EN TOR.

PETER Leo NoweKowsKl March 19, 1963 P. l.. NOWAKOWSKI 3,081,650

TUBE REDUCING MILL Filed June 19, 1961 s 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVETOR. PETER LEQ NowQKowsm BY i ATTO NEY March 19, 1963 P. NowAKowsKl TUBE REDUCING MILL Filed June 19, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. PETER Lao NownKowsKi BY w ATTO New A March 1 9, 1963 P. L. NOWAKOWSKI TUBE REDUCING MILL 6 Sheets-Sheet, 5

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IN VEN TOR. PETER Leo NowQKowsm f ATTORNEY March 19, 1963 P. NowAKowsKl 3,081,650

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a Q. INVENTOR. I :l PETER Leo NownKoWSm BY MMW QTTORNEY 3,031,651) TUBE REDUCING MlLL Peter Leo Nowakowski, Lake Hiawatha, NJ. (Oakdale Road, Chester, NJ.) Filed June 19, 1961, Ser. (Ne. 126,408 16 Claims. (Cl. 80-14) The invention herein disclosed relates to tube reducing mills of the type shown in copending patent application Serial No. 773,462, iiled November 12, 1958, issued as Patent No. 2,988,937 of June 20, 1961, of which this is a continuation in part.

Objects of this invention are to improve construction and operation of such machines, particularly to gain in* creased production, greater accuracy and smoother action and to accomplish these desired results in a simplified form of construction, occupying less space and better balanced in its operation than machines presently in use.

Further special objects of the invention are to eliminate Waste travel of parts and to utilize the necessary movement of parts to produce useful Work, in the present illustration to effect production on two lines instead of just on one single line has been the practice heretofore.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts through which the purposes of the invention have been attained are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrate a present practical embodiment of the invention. Structure however may be modied and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all Within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 is a general plan and sectional View of one of the new machines taken on substantially the horizontal plane of line 1 1 of FIG. 2, showing tube stock fed in in opposite directions at opposite sides of the machine and being reduced both at the same time.

FIG. 2 -is a broken vertical sectional view as on substantially the plane of line 2 2 of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale and showing the carriages carrying the reducing rolls at opposite sides of the machine.

FIG. 3 is a similar view on substantially the plane of line 3 3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a broken vertical sectional view on substantially the plane of line 4 4 of FIG. 1 showing companion gapped rolls at the start of their reducing engagement with the tube and broken lines indicating the completion of such action.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevation of one of the roll carrying carriages as taken on line 5 5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view as on substantially the plane of line 6 6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged broken sectional detail of one of the thrust bearings for taking the separating load.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating travel of the die rolls from an off side to an in line position in respect to the mandrel and tube under reduction, as on substantially the plane of line 3 8 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view as on line 9 9 of FIG. 8, illustrating approach of the gapped die rolls and movement into line with the mandrel.

One of the important unique features of the invention is that companion die rolls operating on opposite sides of the tube are mounted in the same carrier and that this carrier is traversed in a generally circular horizontal path enabling one carrier to operate on one line of stock at one side of the machine and a second carrier, driven from the same source and traveling in the same path, to operate at the same time on a second line of stock at the opposite side of the machine.

sans@ Patented Mar. 19, 1963 FIG. 1 shows this arrangement, with an upright shaft 10 at the center, carrying a driver 11 having oppositely extending radial arms 12, 13 to which are pivoted at 14 and 15, drag links 16, 17, having pivots 18, 19 connected with the carriages 20, 21, which traverse part circular and part straight guide tracks at 22, 45, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, and in which are mounted companion upper and lower die rolls.

The pairs of die rolls are designated 23, 24 and are shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 as having gaps 25 and cam grooves 26 of the Pilger formation and carried by the horizontal shafts 27, 28 journaled in the box-like carriers 20, 21.

Drive of these die rolls in a direction reverse to that of the bodily travel of the rolls over the mandrels is efected from upper and lower stationary gears 29, 30 on the top and bottom 31 and 32 respectively of the horizontally extended main frame 33, these stationary gears being engaged by pinions 34, 3S on the upper and lowel ends of shafts 36 journaled vertically in bearings 37, 38 on the inner sides of the carriers and carrying helical gears 39, 40, FIG. 3, in mesh with companion helical gears 41, 42, FIG. 2, on the inner ends of the upper and lower roll shafts 27, 28.

The roll carriers 20, 21 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as guided at top and bottom by upper and lower pairs of rollers 43, 44, riding opposite sides of upper and lower guide tracks 22, 45.

The plan view, FIG. 1, shows how these guide tracks vary from generally circular to straight line convolution, in particular having elongated straight portions at 46, 47v in line with the mandrels and curved portions 43, 49 approaching the straight mandrel portions and other curves and straights 50, 51 leaving the mandrels and leading back to the approaches to the mandrels.

The die boxes or carriages 20, 21 are gapped at 52, 53, FIG. 2, each in the side which must be open to pass over and into `alignment with the tubing and mandrel and to leave such alignment in travel from straight line back into orbit about the center shaft.

The separating load is yborne by enlarged bail bearings in the upper and lower ends of the roll carriers` riding on tracks on the top and bottom of the main frame.

These ball bearings are shown in FIG. 7 as consisting each of a large ball 54 nested in a socket S5 on a ring of supporting balls 56 and the tracks on which the projecting balls ride are designated 57, FIGS. 3 and 4.

Adjustment of companion die rolls is provided for by wedges S8 in engagement with balls 59 on the slidably mounted journal boxes '70, which wedges can be shifted in opposite directions by adjusting screws 60, 61.

Springs 62 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for supporting the slidingly mounted journal boxes for the upper rolls when such rolls are away from the mandrel and hence not supported by the tubing on the mandrel.

The mandrels 63 for Athe two lines of stock at opposite sides of the machine are shown in FIG. 4 as having conical portions 64 tapering down from the maximum cylindrical portions `65 to the minimum diameter straight cylindrical portions 66 and the tubing 67 is shown in this View as being reduced in diameter and wall thickness from maximum to minimum dimensions.

Ihe stationary upper and lower gears `29, 30 follow the conformation of the guide `tracks and the ratio of the gearing from these to the die rolls is such as to turn the die rolls at a proper sur-face speed for the material of the tube being reduced and to line up the cam grooves with the larger and smaller end portions of the mandrels.

Also the timing of the gear trains is eiective to bring the die rolls into the straight line paths over the mandrels when the gapped portions of the rolls reach these straight lines of travel and when the rolls reach the ends of such straight travel and depart from these lines.

`in line with the die rolls to permit The approach and departure curves of tracks and gears may be the same or may be different from each other and be rounded on curvatures calculated to effect the smoothest and best results.

While only two oppositely disposed roll carriers have been illustrated it will be apparent that more than two sets of die rolls may be driven from the single drive shaft, to operate on more than two lines of stock, with the additional lines of stock positioned in noninterfering relation.

The driving of two oppositely disposed sets of die rolls from the same shaft provides a balanced relation enabling faster operating speeds and greater accuracy in results. The rotary as distinguished from reciprocating operations provides smooth quite action and saves any loss in travel such `as is necessarily present in the -recovery strokes which are present in reciprocating forms of mechanism. Also with the rotary in place of reciprocating movements there is less wear on parts, power requirements are reduced and there may be a general speeding up in operation of the machine.

What is claimed is:

1. A tube reducing mill comprising the combination of a drive shaft, oppositely directed mandrels at opposite sides of said drive shaft, a carrier having companion tube reducing die rolls cooperative with said mandrels, a track for guiding said carrier about said drive shaft, said track having straight carrier guiding portions in parallel relation to said mandrels and curved portions leading toward and away from the opposite ends of said straight portions whereby to gunde said carrier into land out of parallel travel in relation to said mandrels and connections extending from said shaft `for traversing said carrier in the path determined by said guide track, said die rolls `being of the gapped type, means for driving said rolls to bring the gapped portions `ofthe same into register with the mandrels in time with the approach and departure of the carrier in respect to the mandrels and said carrier having an opening in the side of the same toward the mandrels movement of the carrier into position over the mandrels.

2. The invention according to claim 1 with a second duplicate carrier connected with the opposite side of the drive shaft in position to cooperate with one mandrel while the iirst carrier is in cooperative relation to the other mandrel.

3. The invention -accord-ing to claim l in which said drive shaft is vertically disposed and said guide track is horizontally disposed, with said carrier traveling in a horizontal path about the drive shaft.

4. The invention according to claim 3 with a machine frame having horizontally extended top and bottom walls and with corresponding guide tracks for the upper and lower ends of said carrier on said top and bottom walls.

5. A tube reducing mill comprising the combination of a drive shaft, a tube reducing mandrel at one side of said shaft, a guide track `about said shaft having a straight portion parallel with said mandrel and curved portions extending toward and laway from opposite ends of said straight portion, a carrier connected with said drive shaft and guided by said track about Ithe drive shaft, a pair of companion gapped die rolls journaled in opposed cooperating relation in said carrier, said carrier being gapped in one side between the die rolls journaled therein so that it may pass over and away' from the mandrel and means for driving said die rolls geared to bring the gapped portions Of the rolls into register with opposite ends of the mandrel as the carrier approaches and leaves the opposite ends of the mandrel.

6. The invention according to claim 5 in which said drive shaft is vertically disposed and said guide track is extended horizontally to direct the carrier in a horizontal path about the drive shaft.

7. The invention according to claim 5 in which there are two mandrels at opposite sides of the drive shaft and in which there are two similar carriers driven by said shaft into cooperative relation with the two mandrels.

8. The invention according to claim 5 in which said carrier has an opening in the side of the same toward the mandrel in line with the die rolls to permit movement of the carrier over and away from the mandrel.

9. A tube reducing mill comprising the combination of a drive shaft, a tube reducing mandrel at one side of said shaft, an endless guide track about -said shaft having a straight portion generally parallel with the mandrel and curved portions extending toward and away from opposite ends of said straight portion, a carrier connected with said drive shaft and guide by said track along the mandrel and toward and away from opposite end portions of the mandrel, said carrier being open in the side toward the mandrel whereby to freely pass over the mandrel and the tube thereon in the travel toward and awayfrom the mandrel, a pair of tube reducing die rolls journaled in lsaid carrier in position to align with the mandrel, said die rolls having opposed reduced portions in line with the gap in the side of the carrier to pass over the mandrel in travel of the same toward and away from the mandrel and means for driving said die rolls with the reduced portions of the same in register with opposite end portions of the mandrel as the carrier approaches and leaves the opposite ends ofthe mandrel.

10. The invention according to claim 9 in which there are similar guide tracks in opposing relation `at opposite sides of the carrier.

11. The invention according to claim 9 in which there are similar guide tracks in opposing relation a-t opposite sides of the carrier and bearings supporting the carrier at opposite sides of the gap therein.

12. The invention according to claim 9 in which said means lfor driving the die rolls includes gearing at op- 'posite sides of the gap in the carrier connected to drive each of said die rolls.

13. The invention -according to claim 9 in which said tube reducing mill has a machine frame with opposed walls extended over opposite ends of said carrier, with extended bearings supporting the carrier at opposite sides of the gap therein.

14. The invention according to claim 9 in which said tube reducing mill has a machine frame with opposed walls extended over opposite ends of said carrier, with extended bearings supporting the carrier at opposite sides of the gap therein and guide tracks for `the carrier are provided on both said extended walls.

15. The invention according to claim 9 in which there is more than one mandrel, with the guide track having portions parallel with each mandrel.

16. The invention according to claim 9 in which there is more than one mandrel, with the guide track having portions parallel with each mandrel and in which there are a plurality of carriers in opposed relation connected with said drive shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

9. A TUBE REDUCING MILL COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A DRIVE SHAFT, A TUBE REDUCING MANDREL AT ONE SIDE OF SAID SHAFT, AN ENDLESS GUIDE TRACK ABOUT SAID SHAFT HAVING A STRAIGHT PORTION GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE MANDREL AND CURVED PORTIONS EXTENDING TOWARD AND AWAY FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID STRAIGHT PORTION, A CARRIER CONNECTED WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND GUIDE BY SAID TRACK ALONG THE MANDREL AND TOWARD AND AWAY FROM OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF THE MANDREL, SAID CARRIER BEING OPEN IN THE SIDE TOWARD THE MANDREL WHEREBY TO FREELY PASS OVER THE MANDREL AND THE TUBE THEREON IN THE TRAVEL TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE MANDREL, A PAIR OF TUBE REDUCING DIE ROLLS JOURNALED IN SAID CARRIER IN POSITION TO ALIGN WITH THE MANDREL, SAID DIE ROLLS HAVING OPPOSED REDUCED PORTIONS IN LINE WITH THE GAP IN THE SIDE OF THE CARRIER TO PASS OVER THE MANDREL IN TRAVEL OF THE SAME TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE MANDREL AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID DIE ROLLS WITH THE REDUCED PORTIONS OF THE SAME IN REGISTER WITH OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF THE MANDREL AS THE CARRIER APPROACHES AND LEAVES THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE MANDREL. 